My siblings and I fly into Madrid for a fun family trip, leaving behind spouse, partner, children and pets...

Our hotel is located within walking distance of Puerto del Sol, one of the most popular meeting places for  Madrilenos.  It's an ideal location within walking distance of famous landmarks, and a shopping heaven.

At night, the streets come alive with music, lights, outdoor restaurant seating, tapas bars... A festive mood permeates the air, there is no sign of recession in this district.

At the juncture of Sol with Calle Preciados is a statue based on Madrid's coat of arms, a bear eating the fruit of an arbutus (strawberry tree). Dominating Puerta del Sol on its south side is the Casa de Correos (General Post Office), although it now serves as headquarters of the regional government.

But, really, everywhere you look, you can see beautiful structures, from renaissance to baroque architecture, which are begging to be photographed...

We walk to the Museum Thyssen-Bornemisza to visit a major exhibition "Monet and Abstractoin". The exhibition shows how Claude Monet's work has evolved and given way to his successors, the great names of abstract art, such as Mark Rothko, Andre Masson, Sam Francis and Jackson Pollock, and their paintings are also featured.

Then we have a leisurely lunch picnic in a nearby park, enjoying the cool shade from the orange trees. Madrid is known as the city with the most trees in the world...

We spend the better part of the day visiting the Prado Museum. There are both temporary and permanent exhibitions, and the works of Goya, Rubens, Picasso, Velazquez and Murillo are amongst the masterpieces on display.  A special section features examples of antique architecture and sculptures. The museum is vast, with one room after next, over several floors...

We admire the progression of Picasso adaptations of Velazquez' famous Las Meninas, which we would rediscover again at the Picasso Museum in Barcelona. The elusive painting is renowned to be a summary of Velazquez's works and suggests that art & life are just illusions...

To be surrounded by such art and beauty is just so inspiring and humbling...

Aahh, the food in Madrid... Just scrumptious... In our meanderings, we find a little restaurant tucked near a footbridge serving wonderful Pulpo Gallego, or octopus lightly cooked in olive oil, chorizos, and crispy roasted suckling pig, as well as great local wine.

The food, wine and service are so good that we return there for dinner before leaving Madrid...

Another day, we find a typical local restaurant with a toreador theme. The calamari appetizers and Pulpo Gallego (again!) are fresh and delicious and the paella is the best that we have tasted during our stay in Spain. The next day, we shop for spices to recreate this dish back home...

In the morning, we enjoy typical Spanish breakfast with fresh orange juice, strong coffee and churros served in a charming old bistro.

Our leisurely walk takes us to the rectangular, cobbled Plaza Mayor, who was first constructed as a market square around the 15th century.

It used to be the main venue for festivities and even executions and hangings, with spectators watching from their balconies surrounding the square.

In the 1960's the plaza was pedestrianised and we could walk around the nine archways, browsing around the various shops and restaurants.

We visit the Madrid's market, it is very colorful with a large array of produce and delicacies, but it is a poor cousin to the market in Barcelona, which is the subject of a separate tabblo.

Above: To get a respite from the blazing sun, we retreat to a small restaurant nested in a winding narrow road. The lunch is copious and the dessert is a perfect caramel flan...

Below: I notice that the street signs all have a different design or illustration... Very pretty.  At most construction sites, instead of unsightly scaffolding, a trompe-l'oeil painting would coverthe surface under renovation...

We all love Madrid and have such pleasure discovering it together, thanks to the travel arrangements by my sister Nhu Mai. People are friendly, and the food is generally very appetizing and affordable.  Near Puerto del Sol, there are many side streets and lanes full of interesting fashion, accessories and footwear stores, as well as tapas bars, restaurants and pubs.

We slowly stroll to the Real Palacio. When Madrid's old Muslim fortress El Alcázar was demolished in 1734 by a fire, Felipe V used the opportunity in 1737 to have an opulent Royal Palace. Now, the royal family does not live there, but it's used for state functions.